It starts with a glimpse as we walk by one day and I notice how I can’t keep my eyes off Jay Jay. I carefully mention how we all need a little tlc every now and then and soon enough I’m about to spend quality time with him all alone. But before starting the unexpected hot and steamy intense relation that I’ve actually been looking for, I’ll need to dig up some pieces of the past that are sitting just beneath the surface. When Jay’s all clear, we spend about two weeks together, where I get to know every inch of his body and he makes me sweat all day…

JayJay is a bit older than me and we have a lot in common, a bit of German inside but easygoing, both well travelled and the water is where we feel at home. The major surprise is that JayJay is a 28-foot cabin cruiser, mostly used as a fishing boat, so not the hot Australian bloke we might have had in mind. It’s definitely been intense, and he did need a lot of tlc, but in the form of cleaning the barnacles off the hull in scuba gear, buffing the fibreglass polishing the steelwork and stripping the timber for a paintjob. All in all a very rewarding fling.

Buff, buff, buff some more

Beware fo deadly crocs!

JayJay and Fen

Beware of deadly stingers!

Cullenbay marina My beautiful office

Cullenbay

Sand, sand, sand some more

Checking under the surface

During the time spent in Cullenbay marina, I got to know JayJay’s neighbours, Jeff and Lexie. This wonderful couple is living on their catamaran “One Crowded Hour” escaping the cold Melbourne winter months. Boats are heaps of work, but all work and no play wouldn’t make sense. So this weekend, when their daughter Sarah came over for a long weekend, they invited some more friendly folks and off we went, through the lock, into the big blue ocean. We had a spectacular day, tacking our way across the bay, popped some champagne and shared those good old stories. Being on the water these weeks I mentally re-prioritised my bucket list, adding sailing ‘deckie’ and a live aboard diving job to the top.

Stingers beware, Jeff’s coming in!

One Crowded Hour

Then, last week we’ve been celebrating my birthday. And as I want to stick to my tradition of doing something special on my birthday, Trish arranged for me to join them on a company day trip to the Adelaide River Races. These races have nothing to do with rivers, it’s the annual Adelaide horse races. The night before we pre-celebrated my birthday and I unintentionally-single-handedly finished a bottle of young brute, a bottle of red wine that is. Come the morning of my birthday, that young brute wasn’t giving its young smoothness, but a rather brutal headache instead, oh my what a great day for bussing to a hot dusty field with loud music and more alcohol.
Excited as I was about this event, I could not really smile when we boarded and so I mostly tried to ignore my surroundings until the first bottle of champagne popped and glass with fizzly bubbles was put in my hand. From that moment on, I started feeling better. A bit worrying, yes. The oddity of these horse races is its visitors. There’s heaps of Darwinites coming in for the day, mixed up with random territorians from the surrounding area and beyond. Some dressed up as if it’s a night out in LA, wearing petty coated dresses with cowboy boots or glittery stilettos (going great in the grass), and old fashioned fascinators pinned in their hair-sprayed buns.

Our group was a very good blend of people, all very much enjoying the day, whether winning or loosing their bets. It being my birthday, I also figured to put in a bet, and placed it on ‘a burst of orange’ suiting my national colour, but no luck. The horses names are very random, from ‘evil miss’ to ‘watch this space’ to ‘oh so jazzy’. Once the last horses galloped through the finish, it was time for us to pack up, although the locals just seemed to get the party started, with loud beats blasting from the stage and tents pitched for those that wouldn’t pull the all-nighter.
On the ride back everybody was having a jolly good time and the lot sang happy birthday twice for me. Needless to say that it was another very memorable birthday.

I do feel the need to thank Trish and Bob, for these great out-of-the ordinary (and the particularly ordinary) experiences! Thanks to BullAnt for the quality time I got with JayJay and to the wonderful Crowded Hour crew 😉 Happy days!